Benedict Arnold Essay

Benedict Arnold was a Revolutionary Hero that had a big affect on winning the war. He had boosted many of the soldiers moral during the war with his successful raids. Moral could be considered a reason for the Americans winning the war because it kept them going through there up and downs. To begin my essay, I’ll start it with a brief summary on Arnold, so the reader will understand who he really was. Benedict Arnold was born on January 14,1741 in Norwich, Connecticut. His ancestors William Arnold and his family who left England because of religious persecution were the first Arnold’s in New England. Arnold’s family background was well respected and was know to have some wealth. Arnold received his education at Canterbury. Benedict was a romantic, adventurous, excessively proud and sensitive, ruled by impulse rather then principal. Arnold was employed at a drug store in Norwich until 1762,where he moved to New Haven establishing himself in business. He owned a considerable amount of land, was involved in the West India Trade and sometimes even commanding his own ships. On February22nd, 1767 he married Margaret Mansfield. With Margaret he had three sons, Benedict, Richard, and Henry. Benedict’s wife died on June 19th 1775. George Washington greatly liked Benedict Arnold and trusted him a lot, so he let Arnold and Ethan Allen try to invade Canada. The conditions were harsh and those conditions set a big problem for Arnold. Some Arnold’s men left and took many of the supplies they had to survive but he still had kept his men strong. The main problem toward Arnold’s army was the rain, snow, mud and especially hunger. Benedict finally reached St. Lawrence with 600 of his men, and he was commended for his success. Arnold tried to capture Quebec, but heavy rainstorms prevented Arnold and his army to move for three days. He then led two-attack n these two forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point, which Arnold had captured. These two successful captures had boost moral and many men confidence to keep on fighting. Benedict Arnold even made the British retreat when they attempted to attack Connecticut. Later on Benedict volunteered to take control of Fort Schuyler. He tricked the British into thinking he was coming with an army force of hundreds of thousands American Soldiers, when in reality he only had about a thousand. He then entered the fort and it was empty. Arnold signed the Oath of Allegiance to his country on May 30th, 1778. Arnold signed it at Artillery Park in Valley Forge. After getting rid of the British in Philadelphia, Washington gave Benedict the command of the city. By May of 1779 Arnold began bargaining with the British. Arnold was offered over 10,000 pounds and a commission in the British Army. The bounty Arnold had put up was West Point. Arnold began conversing with Major John Andre from the British Army. John Andrea was the middleman between Arnold and Sir Henry Clinton regarding the closing of the deal. Andre was sent back to the British lines with some documents in his sock from Arnold. Andre was captured and placed in American custody. After the documents were found, Arnold heard and escaped. John Andre was killed for a spy. The British gave Arnold money, land in Canada, pensions for himself, his wife and kids, and a spot in the British military as a Brigadier General. Arnold then was never given an important military command. Benedict Arnold finally died in 1801. Arnold was a great man who was devoted to his country. He had given all his life, strength and respect for his country but never received any of that back. He was highly made fun of by many people, including Generals and people in congress. He also wasn’t getting paid as well either. All those factors had finally broke Arnold and he couldn’t take all the disrespect from his amazing accomplishments for the United States. The decision leading him to become know as a traitor shouldn’t let his great achievements for the United States of America go to waste. He should have been honored for what he did for his country then disgraced. Arnold was a brilliant leader in the continental army, leading to many victories for the United States. His uncommon bravery had really showed a great impression on all the soldiers, boosting their morals even more. †Arnold dedicated himself to the Revolutionary cause, sacrificing family life, health, and financial well-being for a conflict that left him physically crippled, sullied by false accusations, and profoundly alienated from the American cause of liberty.† Arnold can be considered one of the best American Generals during the fight for independence. He was very well known for that and respected. Though congress would never give him his deserved promotions. Now as we learn about Arnold, we are never taught of what he did but instead of his treasury. Arnold really didn’t turn on his country but the country had turned on him for not noticing his great achievements for the fight for independence. The only honor that was rewarded to Arnold was the â€Å"Boot monument† where he had fought the Battle of Saratoga. He wasn’t rewarded for his great accomplishment but just rewarded for a wounded leg. Congress though had never motivated Arnold and always picked on him. Arnold was simple; he was a man with great honor who fought for independence and to keep his family name respected. Arnolds father was arrested for over drinking according to Jim Murphy, and his family name had lost much respect. So Arnold a confident, and strong man devoted his life to gain much of his family respect back. He had joined the group called â€Å"The Freemasons† who had requirements to become a memberâ€Å"From the first to the last . . . the first condition to be fulfilled is to Have a reputation of unsullied honor and probity.† Arnold was hoping to gain much of his respect through his membership in this group but was highly disrespected. Arnold being the confident men he is, just ignored it and attended the meetings. His own people simply constantly neglected Arnold. Arnold was asked to capture Fort Ticonderoga, so he did what he was told. He had captured the Fort without a fight, but only making the British there to surrender. He was given little to no credit for this amazing accomplishment that he led. Allen, a General as well, wrote to congress that he captured the fort without Arnold mentioned much. Allen in his letter as well mentioned other soldiers that didn’t do anything over Arnold. After the capture, Allen and his men taking their chance during the situation by looting and partying. Arnold trying to tell congress the true story was denied. Now Arnold began getting mistreated by congress for all his achievements. As he was then assigned to attack Canada, he did but unsuccessfully. He was wounded but rewarded greatly for his attempt and courage. Arnolds respect began to change. Major General Horatio Gate gave him control of Crown Point. As commander of the new fort, he had to defend Lake Champlain. He defended it greatly with a small fleet and army but was unsuccessfully able to keep it. His brilliancy came into play when he retreated perfectly back to the fort saving a lot of men. This accomplishment ranked up Arnold. Washington became to notice and trust Arnold. They were becoming great friends and there trust grew with them. The jealous man by the name of Gates grew as Arnold accomplished many achievements. A letter by Arnolds enemy stating that Arnold being a coward retreated, even though his fleet was bigger then the British. This was all false but people he once trusted started to turn on Arnold. Many started to agree, just to get Arnold the disrespected he didn’t deserve. Washington liking Arnold had been trying to promote him for his great commanding on land and water but congress refused. False accusations of Arnold started to come upon him. His own people and country were turning on him. Arnold began to question his sacrifices, loyalty and honor. Arnold was offered land, wealth and a military position in the British army, for exchange to surrender West Point. Arnold agreed but only because his country turned on him. He would never gain the respect he wanted from his own people, no matter what he did. His own country always humiliated him, even after what he gave to his country. He did many unrecognized accomplishments for the Americans. He won the Battle at Saratoga, which was the biggest turning point in the American Revolution because it finally convinced the French to send troops to our cause, who were a great aid. Benedict Arnold was an outstanding man. He was one of the first to agree with the colonist to go against Britain and one of the first to become a General of the new continental army. He easily captured many forts that boost the American moral and strength. He then was the Commander of West Point but still was constantly humiliated by his own people. His plans to gain respect back to his family name, was always failing. The truths of his victories started to become lies. The lies began to play an affect on Arnold’s character. He was fed up, so he decided to take the British offer. The offer was, he would give up West Point for land, wealth and a military position. He took it up for the reason his country mistreated him. â€Å"A variety of enemies on the American side had insulted and abused him, while others had denied him the credit due to his military skills.

Police Misconception

There are many popular misconceptions about police officers. One popular misconception is that they protect their own. What people don’t understand sometimes is that police officers are properly trained, they went to police training and the trainings main goal is to ensure that officers avoid taking unnecessary risks.This means calling and waiting for back-up, and always having a partner when using direct confrontation, the way the media portrays police officers on television, in movies is like their jobs is always about protecting their own and that being a police officer is about power, when in reality police officers are trying to protect us from all the unnecessary violence and keep us safe just as much as themselves. The police officers are just like us going to work to do their responsibilities and returning home safely.A lot of people don’t realize that some police officers put their lives out on the line for them when they do cases like for example catching a mu rder, rapist, burglar, and so forth, their lives are on the line just as much as ours, maybe more. Another popular misconception that is said daily about a police officer is that they’re racist. Police officers being racist are true but not every police officer is racist, some are not. Think about it, there is racism everywhere we go, in schools, churches, stores, clubs, jobs and so forth, you meet a lot of people who are racist, not only police officers.Racism is everywhere in the world, everyone should be aware of that. Lastly, another popular misconception is traffic enforcement. People say that police officers should be arresting criminals and getting them off the streets, not writing traffic tickets but what people don’t know is that traffic enforcement identifies criminals and results in their arrests. When police officers do their routine traffic stops that’s when they find drugs, weapons, contrabands, fugitives, in the vehicles which helps get the crimin als off the street.

Business System Analysis and Design Notes

Skills by System Analyst:Working knowledge of information technology(The analyst must be aware of both existing and emerging information technologies),Computer programming, experience and expertise,General business knowledge,General problem-solving skills,Good interpersonal communication skills,Good interpersonal relations skills,Flexibility and adaptability,Character and ethics. Info sys architecture:provides a foundation for organizing various components of any info sys you care to develop. a unifying framework into which various stakeholders with different perspectives can organize and view the fundamental building blocks of information systems. Views of knowledge System owners view: Interested not in raw data but in information. (Business entities and business rules) System users’view: View data as something recorded on forms,stored in file cabinets,recorded in books and spreadsheets,or stored on computer. Focus on business issues as they pertain to data. Data requirement System designers’ view: Data structures,database schemas,fields,indexes,and constraints of particular database management system (DBMS). System builders’ view: SQL,DBMS or other data technologies Views of process System owners’view:Concerned with high-level processes called business functions. A cross-functional information system System users’view:Concerned with work that must be performed to provide the appropriate responses to business events. Business processes,Process requirements,Policy,Procedure, Work flow System designers’view:Concerned with which processes to automate and how to automate them. Software specifications System builders’view:Concerned with programming logic that implements automated processes. Application program,Prototyping Views of communication System owners’ view: Who? Where? What? System users’ view: Concerned with the information system’s inputs and outputs. System designers’ view: Concerned with the technical design of both the user and the system-to-system communication interfaces. System builders’ view: Concerned with the construction, installation, testing and implementation of user and system-to-system interface solutions *Basic principles of system development: Get the system users involved. Use a problem-solving approach. Establish phases and activities. Document through development. Establish standards. Manage the process and projects. Justify systems as capital investments. Don’t be afraid to cancel or revise scope. Divide and conquer. Design systems for growth and change. The need to improve: Performance Info Eco/controlcosts Control/Security Efficiency Service Phases for system development: scope definition, problem analysis, requirements analysis, logical design, decision analysis, physical designand integration, construction and testing, installation and delivery. Cross life-cycle activity: Fact-finding, Documentation and presentation Documentation, Presentation, Repository), Feasibility analysis, Process and project management Routes through the basic systems development phases: model driven development strategies (process, data, object modeling), Rapid application development (RAD), commercial application package implementation, system maintenance *Benefits of use case modeling: Provides tool for capturing functional requirements. Assists in decomposing system into man ageable pieces. Provides means of communicating with users/stakeholders concerning system functionality in language they understand. Provides means of identifying, assigning, tracking, controlling, and management system development activities. Provides aid in estimating project scope, effort, and schedule. The relationships that can appear on a use-case model diagram: Use case association relationship, extension use case, abstract use case, depends on, inheritance Use case – a behaviorally related sequence of steps (scenario), both automated and manual, for the purpose of completing a single business task. Steps for preparing a use-case model: Identify business actors. Identify business use cases. Construct use-case model diagram. Documents business requirements use-case narratives *Data modeling(database modeling)–a technique for organizing and documenting a system’s data. Data Modeling Concepts:Entity(class of persons, places, objects, events, or concepts about which we need to capture and store data),Attribute(descriptive property or characteristic of an entity. Synonyms include element, property and field), Data type(property of an attribute that identifies what type of data can be stored in that attribute),Domain(a property of an attribute that defines what values an attribute can legitimately take on),Default value(the value that will be recorded if a value is not specified by the user),Key(an attribute, or a group of attributes, that assumes a unique value for each entity instance. It is sometimes called an identifier),Subsetting criteria(an attribute whose finite values divide all entity instances into useful subsets. Sometimes called an inversion entry),Relationship(a natural business association that exists between one or more entities),Cardinality(the minimum and maximum number of occurrences of one entity that may be related to a single occurrence of the other entity),Degree(the number of entities that participate in the relationship),Recursive relationship(a relationship that exists between instances of the same entity),Foreign key(a primary key of an entity that is used in another entity to identify instances of a relationship),Parent entity(a data entity that contributes one or more attributes to another entity, called the child. In a one-to-many relationship the parent is the entity on the â€Å"one† side),Child entity(a data entity that derives one or more attributes from another entity, called the parent. In a one-to-many relationship the child is the entity on the â€Å"many† side),Nonidentifying relationship(relationship where each participating entity has its own independent primary key), Identifying relationship – relationship in which the parent entity’ key is also part of the primary key of the child entity,Generalization(a concept wherein the attributes that are common to several types of an entity are grouped into their own entity),Nonspecific relationship(relationship where many instances of an entity are associated with many instances of another entity. Also called many-to-many relationship) ,Sample CASE Tool Notations Entity relationship diagram (ERD):a data model utilizing several notations to depict data in terms of the entities and relationships described by that data. Logical Model Development Stages:1Context Data model(Includes only entities and relationships;To establish project scope). 2Key-based data model(Eliminate nonspecific relationships;Add associative entities;Include primary and alternate keys;Precise cardinalities). Fully attributed data model(All remaining attributes;Subsetting criteria). 4Normalized data model Normalize a logical data model to remove impurities that can make a database unstable, inflexible, and nonscalable. First normal form (1NF):entity whose attributes have no more than one value for a single instance of that entity,Any attributes that can have multiple values actually describe a separate entity, possibly an entity and relationship. Second normal form (2NF):entity whose nonprimary-key attributes are dependent on the full primary key,Any nonkey attributes dependent on only part of the primary key should be moved to entity where that partial key is the full key,May require creating a new entity and relationship on the model. Third normal form (3NF):entity whose nonprimary-key attributes are not dependent on any other non-primary key attributes. *Model:pictorial representation of reality. Logical model:nontechnical pictorial representation that depicts what a system is or does. Physical model:technical pictorial representation that depicts what a system is or does and how the system is implemented Process modeling:a technique used to organize and document a system’s processes. (Flow of data through processes,Logic,Policies,Procedures) Data flow diagram (DFD):a process model used to depict the flow of data through a system and the work or processing performed by the system. Synonyms are bubble chart, transformation graph, and process model. The DFD has also become a popular tool for business process redesign. Processes on DFDs can operate in parallel (at-the-same-time). DFDs show the flow of data through a system. Processes on a DFD can have dramatically different timing (daily, weekly, on demand) Context data flow diagram:a process model used to document the scope for a system. Also called the environmental model. Think of the system as a â€Å"black box. â€Å"2Ask users what business transactions the system must respond to. These are inputs, and the sources are external agents. 3Ask users what responses must be produced by the system. These are outputs, and the destinations are external agents. 4Identify any external data stores, if any. 5Draw a context diagram. Decomposition diagram:a tool used to depict the decomposition of a system. Also called hierarchy chart. Business System Analysis and Design Notes Skills by System Analyst:Working knowledge of information technology(The analyst must be aware of both existing and emerging information technologies),Computer programming, experience and expertise,General business knowledge,General problem-solving skills,Good interpersonal communication skills,Good interpersonal relations skills,Flexibility and adaptability,Character and ethics. Info sys architecture:provides a foundation for organizing various components of any info sys you care to develop. a unifying framework into which various stakeholders with different perspectives can organize and view the fundamental building blocks of information systems. Views of knowledge System owners view: Interested not in raw data but in information. (Business entities and business rules) System users’view: View data as something recorded on forms,stored in file cabinets,recorded in books and spreadsheets,or stored on computer. Focus on business issues as they pertain to data. Data requirement System designers’ view: Data structures,database schemas,fields,indexes,and constraints of particular database management system (DBMS). System builders’ view: SQL,DBMS or other data technologies Views of process System owners’view:Concerned with high-level processes called business functions. A cross-functional information system System users’view:Concerned with work that must be performed to provide the appropriate responses to business events. Business processes,Process requirements,Policy,Procedure, Work flow System designers’view:Concerned with which processes to automate and how to automate them. Software specifications System builders’view:Concerned with programming logic that implements automated processes. Application program,Prototyping Views of communication System owners’ view: Who? Where? What? System users’ view: Concerned with the information system’s inputs and outputs. System designers’ view: Concerned with the technical design of both the user and the system-to-system communication interfaces. System builders’ view: Concerned with the construction, installation, testing and implementation of user and system-to-system interface solutions *Basic principles of system development: Get the system users involved. Use a problem-solving approach. Establish phases and activities. Document through development. Establish standards. Manage the process and projects. Justify systems as capital investments. Don’t be afraid to cancel or revise scope. Divide and conquer. Design systems for growth and change. The need to improve: Performance Info Eco/controlcosts Control/Security Efficiency Service Phases for system development: scope definition, problem analysis, requirements analysis, logical design, decision analysis, physical designand integration, construction and testing, installation and delivery. Cross life-cycle activity: Fact-finding, Documentation and presentation Documentation, Presentation, Repository), Feasibility analysis, Process and project management Routes through the basic systems development phases: model driven development strategies (process, data, object modeling), Rapid application development (RAD), commercial application package implementation, system maintenance *Benefits of use case modeling: Provides tool for capturing functional requirements. Assists in decomposing system into man ageable pieces. Provides means of communicating with users/stakeholders concerning system functionality in language they understand. Provides means of identifying, assigning, tracking, controlling, and management system development activities. Provides aid in estimating project scope, effort, and schedule. The relationships that can appear on a use-case model diagram: Use case association relationship, extension use case, abstract use case, depends on, inheritance Use case – a behaviorally related sequence of steps (scenario), both automated and manual, for the purpose of completing a single business task. Steps for preparing a use-case model: Identify business actors. Identify business use cases. Construct use-case model diagram. Documents business requirements use-case narratives *Data modeling(database modeling)–a technique for organizing and documenting a system’s data. Data Modeling Concepts:Entity(class of persons, places, objects, events, or concepts about which we need to capture and store data),Attribute(descriptive property or characteristic of an entity. Synonyms include element, property and field), Data type(property of an attribute that identifies what type of data can be stored in that attribute),Domain(a property of an attribute that defines what values an attribute can legitimately take on),Default value(the value that will be recorded if a value is not specified by the user),Key(an attribute, or a group of attributes, that assumes a unique value for each entity instance. It is sometimes called an identifier),Subsetting criteria(an attribute whose finite values divide all entity instances into useful subsets. Sometimes called an inversion entry),Relationship(a natural business association that exists between one or more entities),Cardinality(the minimum and maximum number of occurrences of one entity that may be related to a single occurrence of the other entity),Degree(the number of entities that participate in the relationship),Recursive relationship(a relationship that exists between instances of the same entity),Foreign key(a primary key of an entity that is used in another entity to identify instances of a relationship),Parent entity(a data entity that contributes one or more attributes to another entity, called the child. In a one-to-many relationship the parent is the entity on the â€Å"one† side),Child entity(a data entity that derives one or more attributes from another entity, called the parent. In a one-to-many relationship the child is the entity on the â€Å"many† side),Nonidentifying relationship(relationship where each participating entity has its own independent primary key), Identifying relationship – relationship in which the parent entity’ key is also part of the primary key of the child entity,Generalization(a concept wherein the attributes that are common to several types of an entity are grouped into their own entity),Nonspecific relationship(relationship where many instances of an entity are associated with many instances of another entity. Also called many-to-many relationship) ,Sample CASE Tool Notations Entity relationship diagram (ERD):a data model utilizing several notations to depict data in terms of the entities and relationships described by that data. Logical Model Development Stages:1Context Data model(Includes only entities and relationships;To establish project scope). 2Key-based data model(Eliminate nonspecific relationships;Add associative entities;Include primary and alternate keys;Precise cardinalities). Fully attributed data model(All remaining attributes;Subsetting criteria). 4Normalized data model Normalize a logical data model to remove impurities that can make a database unstable, inflexible, and nonscalable. First normal form (1NF):entity whose attributes have no more than one value for a single instance of that entity,Any attributes that can have multiple values actually describe a separate entity, possibly an entity and relationship. Second normal form (2NF):entity whose nonprimary-key attributes are dependent on the full primary key,Any nonkey attributes dependent on only part of the primary key should be moved to entity where that partial key is the full key,May require creating a new entity and relationship on the model. Third normal form (3NF):entity whose nonprimary-key attributes are not dependent on any other non-primary key attributes. *Model:pictorial representation of reality. Logical model:nontechnical pictorial representation that depicts what a system is or does. Physical model:technical pictorial representation that depicts what a system is or does and how the system is implemented Process modeling:a technique used to organize and document a system’s processes. (Flow of data through processes,Logic,Policies,Procedures) Data flow diagram (DFD):a process model used to depict the flow of data through a system and the work or processing performed by the system. Synonyms are bubble chart, transformation graph, and process model. The DFD has also become a popular tool for business process redesign. Processes on DFDs can operate in parallel (at-the-same-time). DFDs show the flow of data through a system. Processes on a DFD can have dramatically different timing (daily, weekly, on demand) Context data flow diagram:a process model used to document the scope for a system. Also called the environmental model. Think of the system as a â€Å"black box. â€Å"2Ask users what business transactions the system must respond to. These are inputs, and the sources are external agents. 3Ask users what responses must be produced by the system. These are outputs, and the destinations are external agents. 4Identify any external data stores, if any. 5Draw a context diagram. Decomposition diagram:a tool used to depict the decomposition of a system. Also called hierarchy chart.

PEST Analalysis on Poland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

PEST Analalysis on Poland - Essay Example The transition has continued over the past decade till 1997 when the new constitution was formed. The state now has more transparency regarding the function of the state and the division of the power between the citizens and the state bodies (European Parliament, 2000). The September 1997 elections changed the government but did not have any adverse affects on the foreign policy towards NATO and the EU. The government worked with the aim of flanking the economic development and modernizing the State structure. The coalition government released a series of ambitious reforms such as educational, pension and health systems and decentralization. The local government started reforming in 1999 which resulted in decentralization and reorganization of both the public authorities and finances. Each of the 16 regions is now responsible for their won development and implementation of policies. Each region therefore has an elected council which is responsible for specialized hospitals, economic development, colleges and universities and development of roads. The health care system is run by insurance schemes and 7.5% income tax is devoted for the development of this sector. Eleven pension funds have also been created for the old-age pension system (European Pa rliament, 2000). However, during the period of Leszek Balcerowicz, the country was able to transform itself to a market economy. The country also became a full member of the EU in May 2004 and also joined NATO in 1999. The country gives full rights of protection to the citizens of the country and warmly welcomes MNCs to operate in their territories (European Parliament, 2000). Between 1994 and 1997, the GDP rate grew by 6.3% but it slowed to 4.1% in 1999. Despite the economic issues in the country, the consumer confidence has appeared to be strikingly stable. The GDP per capita was still half of what it is in Portugal and Greece in 1999.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT - Essay Example A business is said to have competitive advantage when it is able to utilize its resources as well as competencies to generate a value-creating strategy that its competitors find difficult to copy for their business (Fitzroy and Hulbert, 2005, p. 201). Competitive advantage is the influential power of a firm that in turn convinces the potential customers to buy its products or choose its services rather than its competitors’. Hill and Jones (2009, p. 74) argued that firm can be said to have attained competitive advantage when its profitability is greater than the average profitability of all companies in the industry and this become ‘sustainable’ when the firm is able to maintain above average profitability over a number of years. Fierce competition among firms resulted in varying levels of performance as individual firms may choose to pursue different objectives and strategies to gain increased profits, sales growth, better market share, and cash flow and so on. S trategy has got significant stance in the competitive business landscape and that has become the cornerstone to achieve competitive advantage. Successful firms are those that demonstrate long-term advantage over its competitors with their ability to do its core business activities better than how its rivals do in the market. As firms are highly focusing on achieving competitive advantage, they are attempting to find the best way to position itself against its rivals by using and implementing business-level strategies. Business-level strategy is the plan of action that managers adopt certain methods and ways to effectively use company’s resources and distinctive competences to gain competitive advantage over its counterparts in the market (Hill and Jones, 2011, p.119). Michael Porter, often credited as father of modern business strategy field, has profoundly impacted modern thoughts of management and business strategies through his works ‘competitive advantage’. H e wrote that competitive advantage is at the heart of any business strategy and it is extremely important for a firm to make a choice about the types of competitive advantage if it seeks to attain competitive advantage (Porter, 2008, p. 12). Michael Porter argued that firms, no matter they operate nationally or internationally, face an issue of strategic choice in relation to generic strategy. The basic generic strategy described by Michael Porter involved competing either on the basis of low-cost strategy or product differentiation strategy. He argued that a company’s position in its concerned industry can be determined by its competitive advantage and its competitive scope (Gilles, 1996, p. 214). He suggested that each of the generic strategies involved a basically distinctive route to achieving competitive advantage and he recommended a choice for type of competitive advantage a firm may consider for the strategic target. Michael Porter illustrated the combination of compe titive advantage and competitive scope through a two-by-two strategy choice matrix as illustrated below. The above depiction of the generic strategy illustrates that cost leadership and differentiation strategies pursue competitive advantage in quite a broader range of industry areas whereas focus strategies tend to vary largely from industry to industry since it represents narrow market segments. Since there are different strategies to achieve competitive advantage and all their routes are different from each other, it is very important that a firm should take a choice among them in order to see and implement the best appropriate strategy for the firm. Michael Porter stressed

King arthur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

King arthur - Essay Example According to legend, he was the son of Uther Pendragon, king of Britain, and Ygraine of Cornwall. During his childhood, Arthur's identity was kept anonymous. Upon his maturity, he was abruptly presented to the people as their king and became a prudent and brave ruler ("Microsoft Encarta"). On the other hand, in the early Latin chronicles, Arthur is characterized as a "dux bellorum," i.e. a military leader rather than a king or emperor ("Camelot Project"). Despite the varying depiction, Arthur consistently appears as the epitome of ideal kingship ("Wikipedia"). Based on the Arthurian romances that gained popularity in the 12th century, Arthur gained the throne as he was the only one who had successfully withdrawn the Excalibur, a magical sword, from a stone. Many others attempted but failed since this act could not be accomplished apart from the "true king." This implied that Arthur was indeed the divinely appointed king and the true heir of Uther Pendragon ("Wikipedia"). He then established a court at Camelot, which is believed to be the modern Caerleon on the southern border of Wales or the great hill fort at South Cadbury in Somerset ("The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy"). At Camelot, Arthur gathered the Knights of the Round Table, which were comprised of Sir Aglova... ne; Sir Ector de Maris, son of King Ban of Benwick; Sir Florence, son of Sir Gawain; Sir Gaheris; Sir Galahad, Sir Lancelot's son and the hero of the quest for the Holy Grail; Sir Gareth; Sir Gawain, Arthur's nephew, who at some points appeared as the embodiment of knightly courtesy and bitter opponent of Lancelot; Sir Geraint; Sir Kay, Arthur's villainous foster brother; Sir Lamorak; Sir Lancelot; Sir Lucan; Sir Palamedes the Saracen; Sir Percival; Sir Tristan; and Sir Yvain, son of King Uriens of Gore (Lacy). These knights were awarded the highest order of chivalry at the court of King Arthur as narrated in the literary cycle, the Matter of Britain. According to Sir Thomas Malory, the knights abided by a set of rules called the Code of Chivalry. Provisions of this code include not committing outrage or murder; fleeing treason; not succumbing to cruelty but instead giving mercy to those who ask; helping and never forcing ladies, gentlewomen or widows; and not taking up wicked battles for love or worldly goods. Aside from Arthur and his knights, the Arthurian legend also featured notable characters such as Merlin, a powerful wizard possessing the gifts of prophesy and metamorphosis who partook in the court at Camelot and revealed the existence of the Holy Grail to Arthur, and Queen Guinevere, the wife of Arthur. Moreover, it gives an account of the knights' numerous quests, perhaps the most famous of which is the search for the Holy Grail ("Wikipedia"), and Arthur's wars and victories, which extended to the European continent where he triumphantly fought the Roman Empire forces ("Microsoft Encarta"). One of the main themes in the Arthurian legend is the downfall of Arthur's kingdom, which is primarily attributed to two reasons. In the chronicle tradition, the

How We Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How We Change - Essay Example We have made this world a global village where it is more than just easy to move from one place to other in a matter of hours and communicate with each other in a blink. But, to gain something, we had to lose something and that something we lost to achieve this marvelous world of today is care for each other. Although we have every means of communication and stay connected, we have lost the will and time to say hello to our loved one. Peter Lovenheim in the article ‘wont you be my neighbor’ and William Deresiewicz in article ‘faux friendships’ most beautifully and with complete facts, describe these losses to mankind throughout its evolution and progression. Lovenheim describes our society of today in a way that it makes us all stop for a moment and think that ‘what and where we did something so wrong that we are at a stage of total societal collapse today. Although we have progressed and evolved a lot to provide us with all the facilities and necessities of life, we have no time to be with each other. We have the means as said by Lovenheim like internet, faster travelling routes and cheaper travelling expenses. We st ill find it so hard to meet each other in person and form a strong societal bonding. William Deresiewicz also explains the loss of mankind by stating that we, the men of 21st century are suffering from ‘facebook syndrome’. He states that because of so much advancement in technology, we are now dependent on it to communicate with each other. The author states by giving the example of friendships that we have forgotten to interact with each other on a more personal level. Friendships of today are limited to facebook and twitter etc. and it is the screen of our computers and smart phones that we are friends with rather than being friends with a real person. Both these articles show how the human species has changed over time. We have no time to be with each other and